School board to vote on proposed boundary changes

Monday, March 4, 2019 - 14:52

Posted:

Mon, 03/04/2019 - 2:51pm

Temporary supports prop up the walls at Eagle River Elementary School, which was severely damaged in the Nov. 30, 2018 earthquake. On Tuesday, the Anchorage School District announced both Eagle River Elementary and Gruening Middle School will be closed for the 2019-20 school year. (Star photo by Matt Tunseth)

The Anchorage School Board will vote tonight on proposed boundary changes for elementary school students in Eagle River. The boundary changes were unveiled during public meetings held Feb. 20-21 in Eagle River and Chugiak.

The school board meets at 7 p.m. at 5530 E. Northern Lights Boulevard in Anchorage. The boundary changes will incorporate some former Eagle River Elementary students to Birchwood ABC and others to Homestead Elementary. The change was suggested by the district as the best way to keep families together.

The ad hoc committee in charge of determining future plans for Eagle River Elementary School and Gruening Middle School will meet Thursday, March 7 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Eagle River HIgh. The committee will also meet Friday, March 8 from 4 to 6 p.m., also at Eagle River High. The school board will hold a meeting March 11 from 2 to 4 p.m. for the first reading of a proposed “action plan” for the schools, which have been closed since the Nov. 30, 2018 earthquake. The school board will vote on the action plan March 18.

The district has not yet released engineering reports for the two schools, however, according to ASD, the district is “hopeful that these buildings are repairable.”